Islanders' optimism grows as crime rate falls

Long-suffering Sergeant Basil Toatu often had to stand by and watch as thieves and troublemakers ran riot on his patch - Honiara's colourful produce market.

Men with knives or guns would rob people of their earnings or snatch valuable "shell money" necklaces. He had neither the firearms to confront them nor a police radio to call for assistance.

So Sergeant Toatu was delighted to be joined on foot patrol around the market this week by Australian Federal Police Inspector Bob Sorby.

The arrival of police backed by more than 1500 soldiers - as part of the Australian-led intervention force deployed last month - has already reduced crime and intimidation in the capital.

There are also signs of a new optimism that things will get better after a five-year downward spiral.

Previously Sergeant Toatu had difficulty arresting even nuisance drunks because they may have had friends or relatives with illegal firearms.

Honest police were often powerless to act against corrupt colleagues, officials or politicians for much the same reason.

But now Sergeant Toatu would feel confident of arresting even someone as high as the Prime Minister, Sir Allan Kemakeza. "If there was an order from the police commissioner and a warrant, I would do it," he said with a smile.

Sir Allan had earlier told local talkback radio that if there was enough evidence to back various allegations against him, he was ready to face a court of law. He also admitted some of his cabinet ministers could be implicated.

This is not the first time the Prime Minister has been under a cloud. He was sacked while he was deputy prime minister after receiving large cash payments from Taiwanese soft loans - a period remembered with much bitterness in the islands. Taiwanese money was divided up between former ethnic militia leaders and politicians. Some presented inflated or bogus invoices to government officials who were bribed or intimidated. Others received huge compensation payments by exaggerating losses from ethnic violence, which escalated from 1998, while deserving cases were ignored.

The Australian-led intervention force has been greeted with demands that corrupt public figures be brought to justice.

But so far Nick Warner, the senior Australian co-ordinator, has concentrated on weeding out corrupt police officers and tracking down perhaps thousands of illegal firearms.

Mr Warner is more circumspect on the issue of political corruption that has seen the country's treasury pilfered, forests destroyed by Malaysian logging companies, overfishing by foreign vessels and, more recently, a move into the live dolphin export trade. The latter has brought calls for help from local environmental groups to probe the reported involvement of the Prime Minister's family.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Alexander Downer, said during a 24-hour visit which ended yesterday that any information would be passed on to police or other investigators.

But a spokesman for Mr Downer said recently there would be no "witch hunts" in the islands and there was no intention to "settle old scores".

Opposition MP Alfred Sasako fears Australia is sending mixed signals on the issue of corruption, possibly reflecting an intention to compromise the principle of equal treatment for all before the law in the interests of political reconciliation.

But he says there can be no reconciliation unless those who have profited from conflict and lawlessness are held to account.

"Nick Warner, while I respect his views, would be missing the point if he thinks the intervention force should not be dealing with the fundamental issue of corruption," Mr Sasako said.

"There should be a special task force on corruption. Otherwise the moment the invention force leaves, the same problems will start again."